January2012 Conservation Notes

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT IMPORTANCE

National Audubon’s President and CEO, David Yarnold wrote a valuable
commentary about the Christmas Bird count published on Christmas day in
the Gainesville Sun. I don’t know if Volusia County media carried his
op-ed, distributed by MCT Information Services.

Some of Yarnold’s remarks were especially timely and needed. Here is a key quote:

"Audubon’s Birds and Climate Change analysis revealed that 58 percent of the species seen during the count

were showing up significantly farther north than 40
years ago -- right in line with charted temperature increases.

In addition to showing why it's so important to
reduce atmosphere-warming carbon emissions,this
disturbing

I'm sure human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are warming the land
and sea as well as the air. Carbon dioxide is acidifying our oceans
which weakens or destroys the oceanic food web, vital to fish, birds
and many other creatures including humans. Scientists agree that recent
lethal and record-breaking, violent weather will worsen as we continue
overheating the planet.

I hope National Audubon will unite with other organizations in
demanding prompt, aggressive cuts in greenhouse emissions with an
all-out push for energy efficiency and swift conversion to clean
renewables.

We may be running out of time to restrain global overheating before some of its worst effects become irreversible.